Easy Pad Thai Noodles

Written by
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt is a cookbook author and culinary teacher who specializes in Thai cuisine.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Darlene Schmidt
Updated 07/31/20
Easy Pad Thai

The Spruce
  • Total: 40 mins
  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Cook: 25 mins
  • Yield: 2 to 3 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
908 Calories
46g Fat
65g Carbs
63g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 to 3 servings
Amount per serving
Calories 908
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 46g 59%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 228mg 76%
Sodium 2040mg 89%
Total Carbohydrate 65g 24%
Dietary Fiber 5g 18%
Protein 63g
Calcium 203mg 16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This recipe for pad thai noodles with chicken and shrimp is authentic and simple enough for any aspiring Thai cook to make. The pad thai sauce is easier to create than the more common tamarind-based variety. If you live in a place where Asian ingredients are difficult to find, then this tamarind-free recipe might be perfect for you.

Although today we associate pad thai sauce with tamarind, in this authentic Southern Thai recipe the sourness comes instead from a combination of rice vinegar and lime juice. Several hundred years ago, traditional pad thai was made in just this way—without tamarind—and versions of this original recipe can still be found in various regions of Thailand.

2:16

Click Play to See This Easy Pad Thai Recipe Come Together

Ingredients

  • For the Pad Thai Sauce:
  • 1/3 cup chicken stock (good quality)
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • For the Pad Thai:
  • 1 chicken breast (boneless and skinless, or 1 to 2 thighs, chopped into small pieces)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 8 ounces pad thai rice noodles (rice noodles)
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 to 2 fresh red chilies (or green chilies, finely sliced)
  • 1 teaspoon galangal ​(grated, or ginger)
  • 10 to 15 medium shrimp (raw, shells removed)
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups bean sprouts
  • 4 green onions (sliced)
  • 1 lime (cut into wedges, for serving)
  • 1/3 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts (chopped)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    ingredients for pad thai
     The Spruce

  2. Combine chicken stock, rice vinegar, lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and cayenne pepper in a cup or small bowl, stirring to dissolve sugar. Set aside.

    Pad Thai spices and sauces.
     The Spruce

  3. Place chopped chicken in a bowl and toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce. Set aside.

    Chicken and soy sauce in a bowl
     The Spruce

  4. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Dunk in rice noodles and cook approximately 6 minutes, or until soft enough to bend easily but still firm and a little crunchy when you try to eat it (undercooked by regular standards). Drain and rinse noodles briefly with cold water to keep from sticking. Set aside.

    Drained pad thai noodles.
     The Spruce

  5. Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle in oil and swirl around. Add the garlic, chili, and galangal. Stir-fry 1 minute.

    Garlic, chile, and galangal in wok
     The Spruce

  6. Add chicken and stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the shrimp, continuing to stir-fry until they turn pink and chicken is opaque—about 2 to 3 minutes.

    Chicken and shrimp cooking in wok.
     The Spruce

  7. When pan becomes dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the pad thai sauce—just enough to keep ingredients frying nicely.

    pad thai sauce added to chicken and shrimp
     The Spruce

  8. Push ingredients to the side of the pan (if the pan is dry, drizzle in a little oil). Crack the egg into the center and stir-fry quickly to scramble.

  9. Add the drained noodles plus 3 to 4 tablespoons of the pad thai sauce. Using two utensils, lift and turn the noodles with the other ingredients. Continue in this way, adding more sauce every minute or two, until all the sauce has been added and noodles are chewy and a little bit sticky, 8 to 10 minutes.

    Stir frying pad thai in a wok
     The Spruce

  10. Fold in bean sprouts and green onion. Remove from heat and taste-test, adding more fish sauce until desired taste is achieved.

    Mixed pad thai.
     The Spruce

  11. Portion out onto individual plates and add a lime wedge on the side. Top with a sprinkle of chopped nuts.

    Easy homemade pad thai.
     The Spruce

  12. Serve and enjoy!

Tip

  • For a gluten-free version, use wheat-free soy sauce.

Recipe Variations

  • Adjust the spice level of this dish by adding less or more red chile. As written, this recipe is moderately spicy. For extra spice, leave the seeds inside the chiles.
  • Pad thai noodles, a type of flat noodle made with rice, is the traditional choice for this dish. In a pinch, you can substitute fettucine or another flat, long noodle.

What is the difference between lo mein and pad thai noodles?

Lo mein noodles are a type of Chinese egg noodle. They are round in shape and are typically used for Chinese stir-fry dishes. Pad thai noodles are a style of Thai rice noodles that are chewy and perfect for stir-frying when making pad thai.

Related Articles